5 Tips for Prepping Your Child for College

One big responsibility that parents have is saving money to pay for their children to get into college. Unfortunately, money isn’t the only type of planning ahead that parents have to do, but a large majority don’t even consider basic preparation. First, your child has to actually want to attend college, as you can’t force him or her to do anything after 18. Secondly, your child has to be accepted to a college in order to attend. Check out the Boston Market hiring age requirements in your state so your kid will be able to start working as soon as possible. These next five tips are going to be the most important things you can do for your child to adequately prepare them to get a college education.

1. Get Your Child After School Tutoring

Before you assume that you have to spend extra money for your child to get an edge on his or her peers, think again. Not all tutoring costs money. In fact, websites like Khan Academy offer age-appropriate lesson plans children can complete in their free time that will help them to master all of the core subjects. Look into after-school programs that might also offer free live tutoring in your area.

2. Encourage Your Child to Get a Job As a Teen

Pushing your child to start working as a teen has two distinct advantages. One, your child will learn the importance of a hard day’s work. With less idle time on his or her hands, you won’t ever hear your child complaining about being bored or ‘having nothing to do’ after working a couple of shifts after school. Second, working teenagers also learn the value of a dollar much quicker than their unemployed counterparts.

3. Prepare for the SATs

Colleges look at how well applicants do on their report cards as closely as they look at standardized test scores such as the SATs. In fact, some colleges have minimum SAT score requirements that can prevent an otherwise qualified applicant from being a shoe-in. Have your child study for the SATs as well as take the pre-SATs, so that they land the highest score possible.

4. Be Realistic About Higher Education Options

Some colleges have really high tuition amounts, which might mean that it will be impossible for you to send your child there unless a scholarship is offered. Tell your child about the state of your finances honestly, so that they can do their part to prepare too. There are plenty of Ivy League colleges that offer full scholarships to distinguished students, so if your teen really wants to go, he or she will find a way.

5. Visit Various Colleges Together

Your child might already know where she or he wants to go to school, at least in theory. Since your teen will probably want to graduate from that school, you’ve got to consider the four-year investment they are about to make. Visit colleges early on so your child has a full understanding of each higher education option.

Don’t wait until January of your teen’s senior year in high school to begin figuring out what colleges are best. You want your child to have the early advantage if possible. Preparation for college can begin as early as pre-school, so get started now.